peak oil
Never underestimate the willingness of investors to cash in on disaster. If you know that, you won’t be surprised to learn that a new hedge fund is now focused on the looming spectre of peak oil. Announced last week, the Peak Oil Value Fund was launched by logi Energy
honeybees
Honeybees might be disappearing in droves in parts of the world because the queen bees aren’t having sex with enough males. That’s the theory being investigated by researchers at the University of Leeds. Scientists there speculate bee colonies made up of offspring from many male partners might be
net zero energy
Sweden-based Atlas Copco has introduced a breakthrough in air compressors: a Carbon Zero range of products certified as having “net zero energy consumption.” The compressors feature advanced heat recovery systems that capture 100 per cent of electrical energy input in the form of hot water. The first ever to be
Jurdy pinpoints Earth’s fuelish problem …
electric cars
Ten innovative research programmes that will lead to the development of cutting-edge ultra efficient electrical systems (PDF) for electric and hybrid vehicles are to receive over £10 million support from the government-backed Technology Strategy Board. This is the first competition run under the Integrated Delivery Programme, a £200 million investment
self-sufficiency
While most Brits agree that self-sufficiency — growing your own food, cooking and rearing animals — could help beat the recession, about half say they lack the confidence to take such a plunge themselves, according to the Soil Association. An online poll of 1,230 Britons conducted by Pollab Limited found that
global warming
Scientists have long warned that climate change is not a linear process: global patterns can chug along looking quite normal for long periods of time even as we continue to pump increasing amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and then … bam, a tipping point is reached, pushing us into
electric motors
A new Oxford University spin-out company, Oxford Yasa Motors, has been set up to commercialise lightweight electric motors developed at the Department of Engineering Science. The new technology promises to help firms build more efficient electric vehicles. Isis Innovation, the University’s technology transfer company, announced that Oxford Yasa Motors
fuel cells
Companies that can develop hydrogen and fuel-cell technology for low-carbon transport and power generation can now bid for a portion of £7.2 million in funding being offered by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). The competition is one of the measures for stimulating low-carbon technologies that were
low carbon
Ten London boroughs chosen as “low-carbon zones” will receive at least £200,000 each to train citizens as “energy doctors,” set up electric-car charging points, improve energy efficiency and launch other green initiatives. London Mayor Boris Johnson announced the winning boroughs at the London Congress at the Guildhall. The 10
energy costs
UK businesses are working to become more energy efficient not because of regulations, but out of a desire to cut costs and reduce carbon footprints, according to a new industry survey from RS Components, a European distributor of electronic, electrical and industrial components. The July 2009 survey polled energy managers,
London Thames Gateway
Cleantech businesses will be able to learn more about what’s new at the London Thames Gateway — the “UK’s number-one cleantech location — during a free seminar on 17 September. Scheduled for 2 pm, the programme will be held in the Business Seminar Theatre at recycling and waste management exhibition,
